Not Listening
by KStar
Summary: He hated hearing his sensei's lectures and so he never paid attention. Until now. Until it's too late. Oneshot set after the time skip. Rating for a tiny bit of language.


Title: **Not Listening**  
Author: KStar  
Characters: You'll see.  
Pairings: None unless you see Sasuke/Itachi or Sasuke/Kakashi, but it wasn't intended.  
A/N: Okay, it started as a theme for one of 30angsts challenges, but is didn't really involve Itachi except for like two lines and a subtle presence hanging over the entire one-shot like a bad memory that won't go away. Probably the result of watching Episode 108 on YouTube.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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"When one door closes, another one opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."  
-Alexander Graham Bell

The world was a dreary oil pastel of blacks, grays, and blues. Unfriendly clouds congregated in the dark sky above as the rain sloshed down in a never-ending torrent. The flooded grass turned even the softest footsteps into wet squishes yet somehow the ninja moved without making a sound. His dark clothes seemed to blur with the surroundings although he was so quick no one would know of his presence as it was. The rain did not bother his vision, his swirling red eyes sensing the slightest of footsteps.

The young ninja paused at a clearing and stared at the large black memorial stone sitting in the center. He was hesitant to enter the field; several years as an S-class missing-nin led him to always stay on his guard and approach each situation with wary caution. The clearing was surrounded by a forest and very…open, something the ninja didn't like at all, especially with it being so close to his former residence, the Hidden Village of the Leaves. Furthermore, this place held far too many memories for the young man's liking, memories he would have much rather forgotten. Nevertheless, he schooled his features into a face of blatant indifference and strode swiftly into the field, purposely not looking at the three pillars standing unforgiving and cruel a few meters away.

He paused at the great memorial and eyed the hundreds of names that had been carved into the black stone. Some he recognized, namely the Uchiha clan, and his gaze lingered on that of his parents for some time. He also found his eyes searching for the unfamiliar Team Yellow Flash comprised of Rin, Uchiha Obito, and the Yondaime. The young ninja sighed lightly and glanced at the more recently added names to the list. Then he looked into the dreary sky.

"Hey," he muttered quietly, scowling into oblivion. "I…don't know why I'm here, but, uh…

"I've been thinking quite a bit about all that you told me, and…well, it's not like it matters of anything, but…I'm guessing you're probably pretty disappointed in me, huh?" The boy shifted in a nervous gesture. "Er, it's just…

"Naruto and Sakura were always so darn annoying, trying to get me to do things with them. Naruto was constantly insulting me and picking fights, and Sakura forever clung like an extra unwanted appendage, and you were always reading those perverted books or blabbering on about how important teamwork was and everything," he growled, crossing his arms childishly and glaring at anywhere but the memorial stone. "It was stupid and I…well, sometimes it wasn't all bad, you know?

"Sometimes Sakura wasn't so…clingy; she was smart and practical and full of the right things to say. She was like a little sister, the kind that adores you and looks out for you and really, really loves you. And Naruto wasn't always so loud and jealous and a moron…okay maybe the last one, but he was…there. He _understood_…understood and cared and was willing to beat sense into even if he had to break every bone in my body." A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Not that he could, of course, but…it's the thought that counts, right? He was my best friend, my brother. And you…you were there to protect us, break us up if we started fighting too rough for Sakura's liking, offer insight and little life lessons, even if we didn't know it at the time. You were my teacher, my mentor, my…father in a way, I guess. You taught me more about who I was and my abilities than I could ever imagine…

"Except I didn't care. I didn't want to hear another lecture, didn't want to be told what to do. I only had one thing in my mind and that was to kill my brother…" The ninja sighed again, raking a hand through his raven locks. "And, well, I…

"Itachi once said that having power makes you isolated and arrogant…" The boy bowed his head, bangs drooping in front of his eyes. "It doesn't make you happy, doesn't give you what you want. It makes you lonely, and I think-

"Itachi is dead," the ninja's voice was a hushed whisper and his hands trembled. He swallowed, "And I've never felt more alone in my life. It's…it's like there's this big hole in my heart and…I don't know…I'm lost and confused and…and…

"You were right," the young man admitted. He clenched his left fist, the hand wrapped delicately in bandages. He glanced at it a moment then closed his eyes.

_Sasuke. Forget about revenge…I've seen a lot of people like you, and the fate of those who seek revenge is grim. It's tragic. You will end up hurting yourself even more. Even if you do succeed in getting revenge, the only thing that remains is emptiness._

_Shut up! What do you know! Then how about it? Should I kill the most important person to you right now? That way you'll know what you just said is way off the mark!_

"You were always going on about how important teamwork was. That first day you told us that a shinobi that betrays his teammates is worse than trash. But…if that was the case, then why did Naruto and Sakura fight so hard to try to get me to come home?" A pause. "I've been a real jerk and blind to the truth. I've had precious people all along, and I took that for granted. You once said to me that when I was given the power of the chidori, it was my duty to use it, not for revenge or against my friends, but to protect them. And what did I do in response? Shove my new technique right into Naruto's chest."

_Well, I won't mind if you do. Unfortunately, I no longer have anybody important to me. They've all been killed already…I've lived much longer than you. It was a bad time, too. I know very well how it feels to lose important people._

"I bet you do, Kakashi," muttered the boy softly, lost in a memory of long ago. He frowned at the names of Team Yellow Flash once more. "I always heard you, you know. Every criticism, every reprimand, every life lesson…every word I heard. But hearing is different than listening. Everyone thought that I was the most gifted, the most mature, the strongest of our team, but really, they were wrong.

"I've seen the people Naruto and Sakura have become-the shinobis they have grown to be. Even if Naruto is still a loudmouth idiot, he's got this thing about always seeing the good in people, always being the hero. And Sakura? She's the most gifted chakra user I know. She's saving lives. They are so different from the annoying childish wannabe and lovesick little girl that I first met. What have I done to become a better person? What changes have I made?

"Absolutely nothing. I ran away. I ran away and tried to forget all about you guys and focus on my dream…Some dream that turned out to be," he sighed and shuffled his foot. His dark clothes clung to him like a second skin from the rain.

_Well, I'll say that we're both unlucky people. That's a fact. But we're not completely out of luck. You and I have important friends now, don't we?_

"I screwed up. And now I can't even apologize to you face-to-face for it, but, uh…" The boy winced and made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. "Oh, god, I…I'm sorry." It was difficult to tell with the rain but a single tear ran down the normally emotionless face of the ninja. "I'm sorry that I always picked into fights and never got along. I'm sorry that I used the chidori for all the wrong reasons. I'm sorry that I fucked everything up and broke apart our team. I'm sorry I never listened to you. I'm sorry that _I let you down_. I am so sorry."

_You understand because you lost important people. You were given the power of the chidori because you have made important friends. That power isn't used against friends…or for revenge. You should know what that power is for._

He took a deep breath. "I know it's too late. I know things can never go back to the way they were. I should have paid attention in the first place, but…"

Uchiha Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha clan, looked at the newest name etched into the black memorial stone as his swirling Mangekyou Sharingan eyes faded into their dark obsidian. He stood there shivering though not because of the cold and tears leaked from his eyes to melt with the rain.

"I'm listening now, sensei. I'm listening now."

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